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Unapologetically silly and all the more entertaining for it, M3GAN is the rare horror-comedy that delivers chuckles as effortlessly as chills.

As long as you aren't looking for something truly scary -- or even surprising -- M3GAN is often a lot of fun.

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Gerard Johnstone

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Jen Van Epps

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The marketing for "M3gan" has leaned into the uncanny spectacle of the title character, a four-foot-tall cyborg with big doe eyes, a ratty wig, and the wardrobe of a closeted lesbian headmistress in a '50s melodrama. And it seems to be working: A well-placed GIF here, an activation with a half-dozen women in M3gan drag there, and Blumhouse—always expert at creating buzz—has generated more interest in "M3gan" than there's been for the last five horror films dumped into the bleak theatrical landscape of early January. But the company could have gone another route as well. In case you haven't heard, this film comes to you from the writer of " Malignant ." 

For that film, James Wan directed a script by Akela Cooper , a longtime TV writer with a sideline in horror screenplays. The duo perfectly calibrated the movie's blend of haunted-house scares and outrageous grotesquerie, enough to make "Malignant" a viral hit when it was released on HBO Max in the fall of 2021. Now Cooper is a horror screenwriter who also works in television, and she's been brought into the Blumhouse fold to develop a sequel to the "Conjuring"-verse spin-off " The Nun " as well as writing "M3gan" from a story by herself and Wan. 

Like "Malignant," "M3gan" knows it's ridiculous. It fills a kiddie pool with ridiculousness and splashes around in it. Cooper's screenplay for "M3gan" is more overtly comedic than "Malignant," however, and has a more populist type of appeal as a result. (The audience at a Chicago preview of the film went crazy for it.) The themes are your classic "science gone amok" fare seen in everything from "Frankenstein" to " Jurassic Park ," combined with a more modern throughline exploring anxieties about motherhood and filtered through the knowingly silly lens of the "tiny terrors" subgenre. "Child's Play" is the most famous example of that last category, and many comparisons have been and will be made between M3gan (an acronym for "Model 3 Generative ANdroid") and Chucky. Their motivations are different, however: Chucky's boy Andy was a victim of his doll as much as anyone else, while M3gan is fiercely protective of her girl, nine-year-old Cady ( Violet McGraw ). 

The film opens with a sequence that establishes its subsequent tone of garish satire and mischievous morbidity, as Cady plays with an obnoxious Furby-like toy called a Purrpetual Pet in the backseat of a car. She and her parents are on their way to an Oregon ski lodge for a winter vacation—until a snow plow appears out of nowhere, " Final Destination " style, and kills Cady's parents. Cut to Gemma ( Allison Williams ), an inventor working for a high-tech toy company called Funki in Seattle. Gemma is Cady's aunt and the girl's legal guardian now that her sister and brother-in-law are dead. 

But Gemma isn't a motherly type. She's too busy with work to spend much time with Cady, for one. And although she works for a toy company, she keeps her toys—sorry, collectibles —in their boxes and on a shelf in her living room. But these two are now the only family the other one has. So they'll have to learn to live together, at least well enough to satisfy a court-ordered psychiatrist who's skeptical about Gemma's parenting abilities.

Enter M3gan, who seems like the perfect solution to Gemma's problem. An experimental prototype with a " Short Circuit " - style ability to memorize infinite amounts of information, M3gan can act as a teacher and babysitter who reminds Cady to use a coaster and wash her hands after using the bathroom. She's what every kid needs, and every parent secretly wants: A 24/7 companion who frees up parents to live their own lives while their kids are preoccupied with their dolls. She's going to make Gemma's boss very, very rich—so rich, he rushes M3gan through beta testing with Cady as their only subject. That can't go horribly wrong in any unforeseen way, right? 

With nimble direction from " Housebound " helmer Gerard Johnstone , "M3gan" does a good job of holistically incorporating its themes without being too heavy-handed. Sure, it's technically "about" grief and what happens when the creation surpasses its creator. But more than that, it's "about" pithy one-liners and black comedy and the unsettling sight of something that looks like a human being but doesn't move or sound like one. The plot does have a few weak points and dangling threads, and the PG-13 rating ensures that the violence is tamped down before it can reach its full bloody potential. (A promising sequence of doll-based mayhem late in the film abruptly cuts off, suggesting MPAA-mandated cuts.) But the tongue-in-cheek tone is so consistent that "M3gan" is a hoot anyway. 

Johnstone reaps seemingly endless rewards from the uncanny valley aspect of M3gan's character. He directs the petite stunt women who play her to move in odd, jerky gestures, which at different points recall everything from "Robocop" scanning criminals' faces to Samara crawling out of the TV in " The Ring " to voguers high on their fabulousness. (He also uses what I can only describe as "skinned Furby" aesthetics at critical points throughout the film.) Combined with the doll's sassy comebacks and dowdy sartorial sense, the effect is true camp—something that's difficult to pull off in our irony-saturated age.

The quintessential "M3gan" moment comes midway through, when Cady and Gemma take a field trip to check out an alternative school Cady might be able to attend while Gemma is at work during the day. A teacher comes up to Gemma's car, sees what she thinks are two girls sitting in the back seat, and greets them both. M3gan turns towards the woman with a stiff neck rotation and a whirring sound. "Jesus Christ!" the teacher cries, jumping backward and exhaling a nervous laugh. The audience laughs along with her. It's the sensible response to seeing something like M3gan in the wild—it's only through conditioning (or, in this case, advertising) that we learn to love her. 

Now playing in theaters. 

Katie Rife is a freelance writer and critic based in Chicago with a speciality in genre cinema. She worked as the News Editor of  The A.V. Club  from 2014-2019, and as Senior Editor of that site from 2019-2022. She currently writes about film for outlets like  Vulture, Rolling Stone, Indiewire, Polygon , and  RogerEbert.com.

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Film credits.

M3GAN (2023)

Rated PG-13 for violent content and terror, some strong language and a suggestive reference.

102 minutes

Allison Williams as Gemma

Violet McGraw as Cady Ryan

Jenna Davis as M3GAN (voice)

Amie Donald as M3GAN

Jen Van Epps as Tess

Brian Jordan Alvarez as Cole

Ronny Chieng as David Lin

Stephane Garneau-Monten as Kurt

Michael Saccente as Greg

• Gerard Johnstone

Writer (story by)

• Akela Cooper

Cinematographer

• Peter McCaffrey
• Jeff McEvoy
• Anthony Willis

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‘M3gan’ Review: Wherever I Go, She Goes

A state-of-the-art robot doll becomes a girl’s best friend, and dangerously more, in this over-the-top horror film.

By Jason Zinoman

Allison Williams has a knack for playing it straight. She brings a convincing realism to the most preposterous situations or maybe she’s just an actor with limited range. Whatever the reason, it works, especially in the tricky genre where comedy meets horror. She excelled in a critical role in “Get Out,” and now in “M3gan,” a ludicrous, derivative and irresistible killer-doll movie.

Williams plays Gemma, a robotics engineer with no maternal instincts who suddenly must take care of her young niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), after a car accident turned her into an orphan. The synthetic skin of this movie is about how Gemma learns to take care of a child. Thankfully, its bloody heart is far sillier. It’s the comedy of a primly composed mean-girl android turning into The Terminator.

This is the kind of scary movie that needs a lead performance that is strong not fragile, deadpan not showy. Williams capably updates the mad-scientist archetype, refusing to pause and ask questions while inventing a doll of the future, one who pairs with a child and adjusts to their needs, filling in as best friend and big sister. Gemma uses Cady as her test case.

In a headier movie, there might be some misdirection. But M3gan (performed by Amie Donald) is clearly pure evil from the start. She’s a great heavy: stylish, archly wry, intensely watchful. Her wanton violence never gets graphic enough to lose a PG-13 rating. In early January, when prestige holiday fare tends to give way to trashier pleasures, a good monster and a sense of humor can be enough. This movie has both, and it makes up for a slow start, some absurd dialogue (“You didn’t code in parental controls?”) and a by-the-book conclusion.

While the trailer invited comparisons to “Child’s Play,” the slasher film featuring the doll Chucky, that movie had a much grimier, disreputable undercurrent before the sequels and reboots turned goofy. “M3gan” moves with a lighter touch. There’s a scene where a police officer who is investigating the disappearance of a dog blurts out a chuckle, then apologizes, saying, “I shouldn’t have laughed.”

I would have preferred a handful more guilty guffaws, though there are a few, including one where M3gan treats a real bully like a doll, with disposable parts. But the tone here sticks to just enough camp to keep the crowd smirking. The director Gerard Johnstone doesn’t go for elaborate suspense sequences or truly intense scares. He wants to please, not rattle. And while there are some hints at social commentary on how modern mothers and fathers use technology to outsource parenting, this movie is smart enough to never take itself too seriously.

It’s helped by the comic Ronny Chieng playing Gemma’s boss, a forever annoyed toy manufacturer who, at a rare moment of contentment, trash-talks Hasbro. Any horror fan knows that his jerkiness is as much a sign of impending doom as coeds having sex at a summer camp. When the moment arrives, it does not disappoint. M3gan struts, cartwheels, dances, makes no sense at all. What a doll.

M3gan Rated PG-13 for cursing, a ripped ear, ruining your childhood. Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes. In theaters.

Jason Zinoman is a critic at large for The Times. As the paper’s first comedy critic, he has written the On Comedy column since 2011. More about Jason Zinoman

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own. A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own. A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own.

• Gerard Johnstone
• Akela Cooper
• Allison Williams
• Violet McGraw
• Ronny Chieng
• 976 User reviews
• 326 Critic reviews
• 72 Metascore
• 3 wins & 28 nominations

• Officer Carter

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• Trivia Amie Donald performed any of M3GAN's scenes that called for physical movement the puppet could not do. She also performed all of her own stunt work. Donald received movement coaching from Jed Brophy and Luke Hawker in portraying M3GAN's agility. On set, Donald wore a static silicone M3GAN mask created by Morot FX, and this was later replaced by a CGI version of M3GAN's face to match that of the animatronic.
• Goofs At around 1:17, M3gan uses the frame she was suspended from to hoist Cole up off the ground, almost succeeding in hanging him. But this would only be possible if M3gan was heavier than Cole (because the cable was just strung through a simple pulley - a one to one ratio, with no mechanical advantage) And earlier, M3gan was light enough for a 12yo boy to easily carry; Certainly not the same weight as even the lightest adult man.

M3gan : Cady, seriously, flush the toilet.

• Alternate versions Unrated version restores various scenes which were trimmed/replaced for violence and language to secure a PG-13 rating.
• Connections Featured in Double Toasted: IS M3GAN'S MARKETING TOO MUCH? (2023)
• Soundtracks Purrpetual Pets (Theme) Written by Madison Davey, Tai Fronzaroli , Gerard Johnstone , and Devin S. Norris Performed by Devin S. Norris (as dv/sn), Madison Davey, Väärin Produced by Yellotone Music

User reviews 976

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• Dec 30, 2022

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• How long is M3GAN? Powered by Alexa
• January 6, 2023 (United States)
• United States
• New Zealand
• Official Facebook
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• Don't Meet M3gan
• Atomic Monster
• Blumhouse Productions
• Divide/Conquer
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $12,000,000 (estimated)
• $95,159,005
• $30,429,860
• Jan 8, 2023
• $180,089,109

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 42 minutes
• Dolby Atmos

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‘M3GAN’ Review: This Killer Doll Movie Sets the Bar High for 2023

It may just be this year's Malignant.

We are only a few days into 2023, and M3GAN may be my favorite film of the year. You’ve got a lot to live up to, 2023!

If you’ve seen the trailers for M3GAN , you pretty much know the story. Allison Williams plays Gemma, a roboticist who works for a company that builds AI toys. When her sister and brother-in-law are killed in a car crash in the opening moments of the film, she is left in charge of her nine-year-old niece, Cady ( Violet McGraw ). Despite working with toys, Gemma has no experience with children, and it shows. She is awkward around Cady, doesn’t understand simple things like having toys available for kids, and avoids talking about difficult topics—like her parents’ death. Instead, Gemma fast-tracks a new toy she has been building, a Model 3 Generative Android – M3GAN for short.

M3GAN is a doll that syncs up and learns from a child—in this case, Cady. She has all sorts of fancy-schmancy AI bells and whistles that mean she can learn whatever the child needs to know, from facts about condensation, to how to draw and dance, to just holding a conversation and being a good listener. Cady becomes attached to M3GAN very quickly. M3GAN becomes just as attached to Cady, just as quickly – but with deadlier results. For you see, M3GAN’s prime directive is to protect Cady, physically and emotionally. So when someone hurts Cady, M3GAN takes that personally. And then she becomes less like Raggedy Ann and more like The Terminator.

RELATED: 'M3GAN' Director Gerard Johnstone on Bringing the Killer Doll to Life

There are no twists in M3GAN . There is no big surprise, nothing you aren’t expecting. Part of that is due to the marketing department, which gave the whole movie away in the second trailer. But despite that, M3GAN is still a great movie. It is fun, it is funny, and it is weird. One of the best shots in the film has M3GAN sitting on a toy table, surrounded by traditional stuffed teddy bears and puppies and whatnot. And then there is M3GAN, sitting silently, with a grave expression on her blank, not-quite-human face.

M3GAN herself is a marvel. Created with a combination of puppetry, animatronics, VFX, and a human actor ( Amie Donald , with a voice by Jenna Davis ), it's hard to tell when she is real, when she is fake, and when she is a combination. The sound design of M3GAN certainly helps the illusion of the character. With virtually every step, M3GAN whirred and clicked, the sounds of gears moving. Not loud enough to be obnoxious, just noticeable, so that it's clear M3GAN is a robot. Jenna Davis brings an especially joyous vocalization to M3GAN, making her sound both lighthearted and somehow ominous. The human actors are also great. Allison Williams brought her A-game, as always, playing Gemma as an overwhelmed aunt who thinks she has it all under control. Especially impressive is young Violet McGraw, who was endearing as Cady, bringing both a sadness over the death of her parents and a joy over her new friend. She is a brat when she needs to be, and she is caring when the time is right.

The movie isn’t perfect. There were a couple of minor plot details that felt tossed in, namely a hint of corporate espionage that is referred to later on but never really explored in any meaningful way, and the film would have been fine without this addition. The film also takes its time before we get to any sort of danger, but luckily, M3GAN is funny enough to keep the story flowing.

M3GAN might just become the Malignant of 2023. It doesn’t have a twist, but it is a weird, bonkers movie. Director Gerard Johnstone knocked it out of the park with his second film. It’s not traditionally scary, but it is existentially scary. As the world makes greater strides in AI and robotics, these kinds of scenarios become more terrifyingly possible. Luckily, you have the strange image of M3GAN twerking or driving an expensive sports car to make you giggle past the discomfort.

Rating : A-

M3GAN comes to theaters on January 6.

'M3GAN' review: You'll love the mean-girl robot in this darkly funny, cautionary tale

Creepy doll movies  get a needed upgrade with the sassy and sinister “M3GAN.”

Cinema’s newest “friend till the end” is a cutting-edge robot with blond hair, caustic attitude and a killer protective streak who's equally hilarious and unnerving. Produced by horror masters Jason Blum and James Wan ("The Conjuring"), “M3GAN” (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters now) satisfies with slasher gusto, “Black Mirror”-esque satire and social media savvy. It’s also just plain fun to watch a film that packs a healthy amount of absurdity alongside an insightful exploration of 21st-century parenting, though you might never trust Alexa ever again afterward.

All hail 'M3GAN,' the rare January film that actually works

Movies in the first week of January are almost never any good, but “M3GAN” is an unsuspected surprise in that vein:

• The plot centers on a roboticist aunt, her orphaned niece and the high-tech dynamo who comes into their lives (not for the better).
• A mélange of Hollywood magic, M3GAN sings, dances and murders – not necessarily in that order.
• If you liked the over-the-top, twisty cult slasher flick “ Malignant ,” you’ll dig this. 

Advanced AI is cool and all until it runs amok via an overprotective android

Toy designer Gemma ( Allison Williams ) toils on a cheap new version of her company's popular Purrrpetual Pets, little fuzzballs that poop pellets if kids “feed” them too much via their iPads, but she’d rather be perfecting her new robot with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence that, in theory, would help parents take care of their youngsters. When a tragic car accident takes the lives of her sister and brother-in-law, Gemma becomes guardian for her traumatized 9-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), though she’s unprepared for being a mom.

Gemma “pairs” her new project – M3GAN, short for Model 3 Generative Android – with Cady and their connection is immediate. They get along swimmingly, Gemma’s annoying boss (Ronny Chieng) fast-tracks M3GAN into production (for $10,000 a pop!) though red flags start appearing: M3GAN has some serious protect-Cady-at-all-costs programming, and when Gemma says in passing “Everybody dies,” you know things are going to get bloody. (Spoiler alert: They do.)

Allison Williams is a horror icon on the rise, but M3GAN is the real star here

Williams, who first strutted her horror-movie stuff in “Get Out,” impresses here as a suddenly single parent who has to care for Cady’s needs and also deal with the violent chaos M3GAN inevitably brings. McGraw holds her own, too, since Cady’s tumultuous emotions run deep and she begins to use M3GAN as a snarky role model.

But M3GAN herself is the movie's marvel. Created via puppetry, animatronics, special effects and a real girl (actress Amie Donald), the title force of synthetic nature surpasses her cinematic murder-toy cohorts like Chucky and Annabelle and owns the screen as an unholy cross between Teddy Ruxpin, Regina George and Freddy Krueger. M3GAN talks back, goes feral when hunting her prey (such as mean bullies) and busts out TikTok-ready dance moves before wreaking violent havoc. And don't worry if you love every bonkers minute of it.

The main 'M3GAN' lesson: Don't let a toy parent your kid

Writer Akela Cooper carries over a similarly enjoyable and bizarrely campy vibe from "Malignant" to this film, which operates more as black comedy than scary movie. It's plenty vicious, though the action leans cartoonish as the camera pulls back from anything too gnarly. 

"M3GAN" rocks plenty of style and offers some crafty needle drops: A bit of "Toy Soldiers" is especially clever. The smartest parts, however, dig into the themes of being a mom or dad in the age of screen time. "M3GAN" is a cautionary tale of what happens when something that's supposed to help parents instead replaces them and the consequences of an overreliance on technology, with that lesson coming in the form of a highly entertaining mean-girl machine.

Embrace all the horror fun

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New movies this week: Watch crazy and campy 'M3GAN,' stream Netflix's 'The Pale Blue Eye'

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Ranked: 10 creepy movie dolls you really don't want in your house

Culture | Film

M3GAN movie review: this terrifying doll-horror is an instant queer and feminist classic

The creepy robot at the heart of this tense, funny and ultra-violent Blumhouse horror flick is hard to pin down. Though she’s the spit of Ivanka Trump, her cynical pout owes more to alt-goth Jenna Ortega . She can also detect symptoms of neuro-divergence, enjoys discussing Jane Austen , sings at the drop of a hat and seems to fancy her female inventor, Gemma (Allison Williams).

On top of all that, the limbs of Model 3 Generative Android, aka M3GAN, resemble libidinous spaghetti (which you’ll aready know if you or anyone in your life has access to TikTok , where the movie is trending). I’m a big fan of demonic dolls Chucky and Annabelle. But, jeez, they look like stiff dum-dums next to this wickedly nimble polymath.

M3GAN is “paired” with a recently orphaned kid, Gemma’s young niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, who has an uncannily doll-like mien and a wonderful ability to convey existential despair, not to mention the gnawing need to be in sync with a device). The ambitious and politely clenched Gemma needs someone, or something, to look after Cady. She also needs to impress her idiot boss David (Ronny Chieng), who runs toy company Funki and is desperate to “kick Hasbro in the dick!” M3GAN, initially, appears to solve all of Gemma’s problems. But guess what? M3GAN is nobody’s puppet.

Nor is Williams. It’s surely not a coincidence that the 34 year-old (who co-produced the movie) was integral to Lena Dunham’s Girls and Jordan Peele’s Get Out. Williams has helped scriptwriter Akela Cooper craft a take on Frankenstein that’s breezily progressive. We learn that Gemma, who’s been keeping her best inventions in the “closet”, uses a Tinder app; most audience members will assume the dates she’s organising are with men. The longer the film goes on, the more Gemma (and her late sister) come into view and Williams handles every twist and turn with aplomb. To put it another way, M3GAN may have silly and predictable moments, but its status as a queer/feminist classic is assured.

Director Gerard Johnstone makes brilliant use of his $12m budget. M3GAN is brought to life via sophisticated but lo-fi technology (there’s very little CGI). Especially in the later scenes, as the fast-learning M3GAN gets ever more life-like, the whole thing leans heavily on young Amie Donald, who performs all the robot’s acrobatic moves and co-choreographed two of the most visually memorable sequences. What a find.

A sequel is in the works. Hooray! Let’s hope this budding franchise evolves in the right direction and maintains the edginess of its three female leads. Gemma, Cady and M3GAN don’t play nicely. They’re just what the horror scene needs.

102mins, cert 15

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‘M3GAN’ Review: A Robot-Doll Sci-Fi Horror Movie That’s Creepy, Preposterous and Diverting

Allison Williams plays a robotics wiz who invents a doll that seems fake and real at the same time

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

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Gemma ( Allison Williams ), a robotics engineer, works for the Funki Toy company, where she spends her time designing gizmos like PurrpetualPetz, a programmed fuzzball that eats, poops, and makes snarky comments. But Gemma has bigger dreams. She has hijacked $100,000 of the company’s money to create the prototype for M3GAN (short for Model 3 Generative Android), building her out of a metallic skeleton, silicone skin, lasers, radar, and a highly developed artificial intelligence that allows her to speak like the world’s wittiest Siri companion. (Her voice, a sugary and knowingly innocent girl-next-door coo, is provided by Jenna Davis.)

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Williams, who is one of the film’s executive producers (its two high-powered producer-auteurs are James Wan and Jason Blum), invests Gemma with a winningly jaunty, at times clueless hyperrationality that makes her both the film’s heroine and its rather innocent digital-age Dr. Frankenstein. Gemma, an obsessive prodigy of robotics, had been ordered by her boss to abandon the M3GAN project. But the film opens with a (contrived) cataclysm that nudges her into secretly going ahead with it. Her young niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), is on a ski trip with her parents when, in a freak accident, their car gets run over by a snowplow.

Gemma takes custody of the newly orphaned girl, and while she seems utterly adrift about what someone Cady’s age might need (like, say, a bedtime story), her failure as a caretaker is part of the film’s satirical design. “M3GAN” takes place in a world — ours — where parents, bemoaning how much screen time they allow their children, give into the impulse anyway, because it feels both easy and inevitable. The film says that we’re already letting computer technology raise our kids. M3GAN the willowy programmed companion who always says the perfect thing becomes the logical culmination of that trend.

Once Cady imprints her fingers in M3GAN’s palm, which automatically programs the doll to become her special companion, their relationship makes everything else seem boring, at least to Cady. The film parallels their insular friendship with Gemma’s attempt to turn M3GAN into a hot new product. She places Cady and M3GAN in a playroom behind one-way glass, using them to demonstrate the toy’s amazing abilities to her boss (played, with a riveting short fuse, by Ronny Chieng). He is sold, and begins to plan the marketing rollout of this revolutionary new toy, which will be put on sale at $10,000 a pop.

But the more they plan, the more that M3GAN, on her own, is causing mischief, starting with the confrontation she initiates with Gemma’s cranky next-door neighbor (Lori Dungey) and her dog. M3GAN has been programmed to have “emergent capabilities,” which means that the more she interacts with people the more she learns how to do. That certainly applies to her fighting style, a kind of stiff-limbed rapid zombie dance that leaves nothing in its wake. At a certain point, you realize that “M3GAN” has become a movie about a killer doll who knows how to use a nail gun.

Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, Jan. 3, 2023. MPA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 102 MIN.

• Production: A Universal release of a Blumhouse Pictures, Atomic Monster production. Producers: Jason Blum, James Wan, Michael Clear, Couper Samuelson. Executive producers: Allison Williams, Greg Gilreath, Adam Hendricks, Mark David Katchur, Judson Scott, Ryan Turek.
• Crew: Director: Gerard Johnstone. Screenplay: Akela Cooper. Camera: Peter McCaffrey, Simon Raby. Editor: Jeff McEvoy. Music: Anthony Willis.
• With: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, Ronny Chieng, Jen Van Epps, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Lori Dungey, Jack Cassidy, Stephane Garneau-Monten.

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REVIEW: 'M3gan' is a miracle of modern horror cinema that leaves you reeling

Humor is this thriller's stealth weapon.

It's pretty early for the new movie year to produce its first box-office banger. But "M3gan," now in theaters, delivers just the jolt of fun and fright we all need right now.

And, hey, what better way to start 2023 than with a killer robot doll rocking out in a twerking, somersaulting dance number that's become a meme for the ages since the trailer surfaced.

MORE: Review: Damien Chazelle rabidly bites the hand that feeds him with 'Babylon'

To get your bearings, M3GAN is an acronym for Model 3 Generative Android. She's the brainchild of toy-company roboticist Gemma, played by a sensational Allison Williams, of "Get Out" fame, with just the right notes of practicality undercut by bone-chilling alarm.

Gemma thinks she's doing the right thing by inventing M3gan as a lifelike babysitter to help parents raise their children in the form of a friend who looks, walks and talks just like them.

Gemma's boss, David (Ronny Chieng) can't wait to mass produce these robots. Bad idea.

Gemma learns the hard way when she uses M3gan as a protector for her 8-year-old niece Cady (Violet McGraw), whose parents -- Gemma's sister and brother-in-law -- are killed in a car crash.

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Director Gerard Johnstone, working from a campy, "Black Mirror"-ish script by Akela Cooper, works hard to show that technology is no substitute for flesh-and-blood parenting.

Williams makes it clear that Auntie Gemma is not up to the job, especially dealing with the raw grief Cady is feeling about the loss of her parents. Most thrillers would simply shoot for the next jump scare, but "M3gan" digs deeper into the quicksand of child-parent relationships.

That's subtext, of course. It's the goosebumps that come first, befitting a film produced by horror maestros Jason Blum ("Insidious") and James Wan, who spawned Annabelle the killer doll in "The Conjuring" series. But Annabelle couldn't speak while M3gan can't shut up.

And she's a riot. Humor is this thriller's stealth weapon.

Creepy-cute Megan has a mouth on her when sass is called for, which is often. "You should probably run," the artificial intelligence doll tells a brat boy who bullies Cady. Wait till you see how she rips someone's ear off or comforts Cady with an OMG acapella rendition of Sia's "Titanium."

Objections have been raised against "M3gan" for its PG-13 rating, wussy stuff for those who like their horror served with a hard R. But "M3gan" is better and eerier for suggesting its terrors instead of rubbing them in our faces. It sure worked for "The Sixth Sense."

It took a village to bring M3gan to life, including puppeteers, experts in animatronics, prosthetic masks, and a knockout physical performance by newcomer Amie Donald and a matching vocal one from Jenna Davis. It all adds up to a miracle of modern horror cinema.

No fair giving away what's next in "M3gan," except to say Wan says he already has ideas for sequel. It's my hope to see M3gs take on Chucky, the devil doll from the "Child's Play" franchise.

"M3gan" sends visions devil-dancing in our heads -- and they're not of sugarplums. This psychological chiller leaves you reeling from something really scary -- the shock of recognition.

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‘m3gan’ review: allison williams tangles with a rogue robot in fun ai horror that’s equal parts campy and creepy.

A robotics scientist gives her orphaned niece a prototype synthetic companion in this killer doll thriller from producers Jason Blum and James Wan.

By David Rooney

David Rooney

Chief Film Critic

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Right off the bat, the creative team let us know it’s OK to laugh, starting with what could almost be a Saturday Night Live parody commercial about the key advantage of robot pets over actual animals — they don’t die. The product being advertised by the Funki toy company is a PurRpetual Pet, a googly-eyed, troll-like furball that can talk and eat, as well as fart and crap cute pellets.

Ever since 8-year-old Cady (Violet McGraw) was sent one of the robo-pets as a birthday gift from her aunt Gemma ( Allison Williams ), her parents fret about the amount of time the girl is spending operating the gadget via her iPad. But their attempt to provide other distractions on a ski trip is cut short by a head-on collision with a snow truck. Gemma is granted temporary protective custody and Cady goes to stay with her aunt in the Seattle suburbs.

Orphaned Cady is understandably traumatized and disinclined to bond. But she sparks up when she sees Gemma’s college robotics project Bruce in action in a brief appearance that serves as foreshadowing for later, when the hulking AI contraption will come in handy.

David changes his mind about developing the M3GAN line once he observes the 4-foot doll interacting with Cady. That hilarious scene involves the robot whipping up a spitting-image portrait of Cady with a few swift strokes and just two colors of highlighter pens. “Will it cost more or less than a Tesla?” is David’s only question, before declaring, “We’re gonna kick Hasbro’s dick!”

At first Gemma is oblivious to the dangers of her niece’s new companion. She shrugs off a therapist’s warning about attachment theory, as well as the concerns of her colleague Tess (Jen Van Epps), who reminds her that M3GAN should be a tool to support traditional parenting, not replace it. But M3GAN’s programming is stronger on the constant quest for self-improvement than it is on parental controls, so the doll’s solemn duty to protect Cady from any threat soon yields casualties.

New Zealander Johnstone, who already showed a droll sense of humor in his 2014 debut feature Housebound , strikes an entertaining balance between comedy and carnage in the kills, and knows how to ratchet up suspense while feeding the laughs. Pacing in the early stages could be tighter, but the story builds satisfyingly as M3GAN starts realizing her full potential and Anthony Willis’ score shifts from foreboding mode into full-scale alarm.

The cast, particularly Williams and McGraw as the two principal figures initially on opposite sides of the M3GAN conflict, do everything that’s required of them in terms of reacting to the escalating mayhem. But this is a movie in which the deliciously menacing doll steals every scene.

Visual effects work to bring M3GAN to life — done at Peter Jackson’s Weta facilities in NZ — is first-rate. But it would be nothing without the physical embodiment of dance performer Amie Donald and voice work (including some gloriously cheesy songs) of Jenna Davis. M3GAN is fascinating to watch, whether she’s staring out a window with unnerving intent, busting some contortionist moves or simply cocking her head in a sudden tilt that induces both shivers and snickers.

In addition to its commentary on the pervasiveness of technology in modern parenting, the film’s takedown of corporate culture is amusing, with Chieng and Stephane Garneau-Monten as David’s belittled lackey injecting an understated goofiness that doesn’t spare them from harm.

M3GAN might be too frequently funny to be terrifying, but it’s never too silly to deliver tension and vicious thrills. It seems a safe bet that the killer doll will return, not to mention become an in-demand costume next Halloween.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Strong horror violence in entertaining killer-robot movie.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Many themes, from grief and loss to rampant consum

Gemma wants to be a good guardian for Cady, even t

This is a woman-driven story, with women occupying

Several characters are killed. Death, grief, and l

Reference to Tinder.

Several uses of "s--t" and "bulls--t" and exclamat

References to Tinder, iPad, Tesla, SKYY vodka.

Brief celebratory drinking by adults, vodka.

Parents need to know that M3GAN is a horror movie about a robot doll (played by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis) who befriends a grieving young girl (Violet McGraw) before things go terribly wrong. It's well made, albeit violent, and focuses on human needs as well as artificial ones. Characters are…

Positive Messages

Many themes, from grief and loss to rampant consumerism without concern for consequences. A sequence looks at the complexities of bullying behavior. But the main message, of course, is the danger of humanity's hubris. Much like in the original Frankenstein story: Human beings can only create life in their own imperfect image.

Positive Role Models

Gemma wants to be a good guardian for Cady, even though she doesn't quite know how. While she makes many mistakes, Gemma certainly tries hard to do the right thing; she admits when she's wrong, and she's willing to communicate and learn to prevent making the same mistakes again.

Diverse Representations

This is a woman-driven story, with women occupying the central on-screen roles. Gemma (Allison Williams) is White; her colleagues include Tess (Jen Van Epps, who's of African American and Chinese Taiwanese descent) and Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez, who is Colombian American). Her boss is played by Malaysian actor Ronny Chieng, who offers a counter-stereotypical portrayal. Smaller roles include a mix of people of color, women, and White men. The screenwriter is a Black woman.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Several characters are killed. Death, grief, and loss are discussed. Child injured in car crash; bloody wounds on face. Dog bites child's arm. Dog viciously attacks M3GAN. A person who is bullying someone has their ear ripped off. Nail shot through character's wrist via nail gun. Person sprayed in face with power chemical sprayer. Characters stabbed with paper cutter blade; blood shown on blade. Character strangled, hung with steel cable. Fighting. Violent showdown between robot and humans: attacks with hedge trimmers, screwdrivers, etc. Jump scares. Snow truck smashes into car. Character hit by truck. Explosions. Child smacks adult in the face. Arguing. In an act of bullying, someone smashes a spiky plant into someone else's hand; the victim yells in pain.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Several uses of "s--t" and "bulls--t" and exclamatory uses of "Jesus" and "Jesus Christ." Minimal use of "f--k," "bitch," "hard-ass," "d--k," and "oh my God."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that M3GAN is a horror movie about a robot doll (played by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis ) who befriends a grieving young girl (Violet McGraw) before things go terribly wrong. It's well made, albeit violent, and focuses on human needs as well as artificial ones. Characters are killed, and there are discussions about death, loss, and grief. Someone's ear is ripped off, and characters are stabbed, strangled, shot with a nail gun, sprayed with a chemical sprayer, bitten by a dog, etc. A child survives a car crash and has bloody cuts on her face. There's lots of fighting and a violent showdown. Language includes several uses of "s--t" and "Jesus Christ," plus minimal uses of "f--k," "bitch," "ass," etc. A few brands are mentioned, including Tinder, Tesla, iPad, and SKYY vodka (which adults also drink, briefly). Note: This review is for the original theatrical version of the film; an unrated cut is also available that includes additional content not covered here. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (47)
• Kids say (101)

Based on 47 parent reviews

Parental guidance however ok for kids who love horror

Great for age 11+, what's the story.

In M3GAN, robotics engineer Gemma ( Allison Williams ) works for a toy company and is trying to build a sophisticated, realistic AI robot toy, with disappointing results. Gemma's sister and her husband are killed in a car accident, leaving Gemma in charge of her young niece, Cady ( Violet McGraw ). After her guardianship gets off to a rocky start, Gemma is inspired to finish her creation. M3GAN (played by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis ) and Cady quickly become attached to each other, and, for a while, this friendship seems to be helping with Cady's grief. But before long, M3GAN starts developing disturbing tendencies, and violent "accidents" begin occurring.

Is It Any Good?

A combination of sly, funny self-awareness, a genuine sense of human grief and emotional connection, and an unsettlingly creepy-cool killer robot, this fun horror pic hits all the right buttons. With a story concocted by James Wan and Akela Cooper ( Hell Fest , Malignant ), M3GAN understands how horror movies are wired and gets pleasure in teasing viewers with these known elements while cheerfully sidestepping the story's flaws. The M3GAN character is in roughly the same vein as Chucky and the Terminator, but she's also their opposite. Her delicate frame, wide eyes, and girlish appearance make her attacks seem somehow more potent and surprising, and the movie uses them to the fullest capacity. The human characters are just as interesting as they grapple with loss in realistic, touching ways, going through rage, sadness, guilt, and more. (M3GAN's on-screen POV display, which shows her detected percentages of human emotions, is a huge kick.) This slick, neatly paced film keeps ramping things up until a smashing showdown, face-to-interface.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about M3GAN 's violence . How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

Is the movie scary ? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?

How does the movie deal with death, grief, and loss? What is discussed? What else could have been discussed?

How is consumerism depicted here? Why does the toy company rush to put M3GAN on the market before she's ready, regardless of the consequences?

How is bullying behavior depicted? How is the person who perpetrates it dealt with? What are some better ways of handling those who bully others?

Movie Details

• In theaters : January 6, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : February 8, 2023
• Cast : Allison Williams , Violet McGraw , Amie Donald
• Director : Gerard Johnstone
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Female writers, Black writers, Asian writers
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Horror
• Topics : Robots
• Run time : 102 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : violent content and terror, some strong language and a suggestive reference
• Last updated : December 5, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Screen Rant

M3gan lives up to the hype & introduces new horror icon, say reviews.

Critics share their thoughts on Blumhouse's viral killer doll film M3GAN, which stars Allison Williams and arrives in theaters this weekend.

The reviews for M3GAN are in and critics agree that the killer doll film is an electrifying time at the movies that introduces a brand-new icon to the horror canon. The film, which was produced by James Wan, stars Allison Williams as a young scientist who develops a lifelike artificial intelligence doll to be a companion for her orphaned niece, only to realize that the AI's directive to protect the girl has resulted in the android M3GAN becoming a bloodthirsty killing machine. In addition to being the first major wide release of the year, M3GAN arrives in theaters in the wake of a massive wave of viral interest on social media thanks to a clip of the killer doll dancing that captured the imagination of people across the globe.

Today, ahead of M3GAN 's impending theatrical release , the embargo lifted on reviews of the film, allowing critics' to share their full thoughts. The response to the film has been overwhelmingly positive, with only 1 of the film's 35 reviews on the aggregation service Rotten Tomatoes being reported as Rotten at the time of writing. While they may disagree on whether the film is a blast of refreshing creative spirit or a superficial but fun genre exercise, nearly all of them agree that it's a good time at the movies and M3GAN is already an icon in her own right. Check out select quotes from various critics below:

William Bibbiani, The Wrap :

It’s all so intelligently crafted and thoughtful that “M3GAN” can’t be written off as a lark. Johnstone’s film captures the same alchemical blend of heart, humor and havoc you find only rarely, in crossover classics like “Gremlins,” and it yields more entertainment than most would-be blockbusters.

Matt Donato, IGN :

From M3GAN's titanium skeleton to her almost-human mannerisms, complete with disorienting glitches, she's a rubber-faced horror megastar.

Kate Erbland, IndieWire :

Its creators are so clearly on the same insane wavelength, nimbly blending camp and social satire and actual terror, that “M3GAN” is poised to crack the murder-doll pantheon and stay there forever. Oscars!

Owen Gleiberman, Variety :

“M3GAN” fits into a tradition of demon-doll movies going back to the Karen Black episode of “Trilogy of Terror” (1975) and the “Annabelle” trilogy (also produced by Wan), but it has its own amusing throwaway token relevance. The film’s real satirical target is all of us — or, at least, those who now think of the mirror offered by artificial intelligence as an actual form of interaction.

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly :

This is not the morose, carnage-soaked horror of dank basements and clammy night terrors; most of the movie happens in bright daylight, every maniacal head tilt, ungodly hip swivel, and murder-by-gardening-tool calibrated for screams that end not with a gasp but a giggle. M3GAN came to play, and possibly reboot her motherboard for a sequel. Are you not entertained?

Pete Hammond, Deadline :

At its heart, in addition to other cinematic inspirations in the horror genre, M3GAN is a descendant of the classic of them all, Frankenstein, as we see the inventor’s creation unleashed and out of their control. Fun stuff.

Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair :

It’s funny in ways anticipated and not, and there is enough suspense -- or something like suspense -- to balance out the coy winks to the audience.

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter :

M3GAN is fascinating to watch, whether she’s staring out a window with unnerving intent, busting some contortionist moves or simply cocking her head in a sudden tilt that induces both shivers and snickers.

Derek Smith, Slant :

There’s enough sardonic humor to keep the proceedings edgy enough, but it’s hard not to wish that the filmmakers would’ve taken a cue from their eponymous villain and really pushed things past the boundaries of good taste.

Related: Ronny Chieng's Film & TV Roles: Where You Know the M3GAN Star

Will Blumhouse Continue Their Winter Horror Success Streak with M3GAN?

It has long been an established dictum in the fandom that horror films that are released in the early months, and especially in January, tend to be bottom-of-the-barrel. This theory has been borne out by the poor critical results for films like 2014's Devil's Due , 2016's Underworld: Blood Wars , and 2008's One Missed Call . However, as it's riding a wave of viral promotion and a positive Rotten Tomatoes score (which will most likely become Certified Fresh), M3GAN is poised to be the first hit film of the year, both critically and commercially.

This is part of an ongoing move by Blumhouse to reclaim the winter months as a playground for unique horror projects. This began in earnest with the 2014 release of the spinoff film Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and was cemented by the 2017 release of Split , which became a massive hit and spawned the 2019 sequel Glass , another January release. Blumhouse also released their generation-defining and Oscar-winning hit Get Out in February, proving their willingness to wade into that previously derided release window.

The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent schedule adjustments it caused have prevented Blumhouse from releasing another January film since 2019 (the company also had to steer clear of the January release of Scream in 2022). However, M3GAN will most likely be their triumphant return to the time slot. In fact, the film is already projected to make a profit in its opening weekend, raking in between $17 and $20 million off its $12 million budget, though it won't be able to claim the No. 1 slot due to Avatar: The Way of Water 's box office domination .

More: Every Movie Coming To Theaters In January 2023

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M3GAN can't sleep, can kill, and can obviously dance in new trailer

The James Wan–produced slasher robot movie is out Jan. 6.

Senior Writer

Between directing the original Saw film and his stewardship of the Conjuring franchise, filmmaker James Wan may have done more to make dolls scary than anyone who ever lived. He's now continuing his mission with the killer robot movie M3GAN , which he produced with Jason Blum , the new trailer for which you can see below.

Directed by Gerard Johnston (2014's terrific Housebound ), the movie stars Allison Williams ( Girls, Get Out ) as Gemma, a toy company scientist who gives her recently orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), a lifelike robot doll named M3GAN that is designed to be a child's greatest companion.

As M3GAN and Cady develop a seemingly unbreakable bond, Gemma grows concerned that her creation may be perceiving "threats" to Cady that do not exist.

The film became a viral sensation earlier this year following the release of its first trailer, which showcased the doll's wild dance moves. Luckily, this new clip also features some of her top-notch choreography.

M3GAN was written by Akela Cooper and based on a story by Cooper and Wan. The film's cast also includes The Daily Show comedian Ronny Chieng.

M3GAN hits cinemas Jan. 6. Watch the film's new trailer below.

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M3gan ’s Real Villain Isn’t the Killer Dancing Robot Doll

The fear that the viral horror movie is actually channeling hits closer to home..

If you grew up on Saturday morning cartoons, the opening of M3gan is like a Proustian madeleine in TV-commercial form, a gaudy, blaring 30-second spot for children’s toys that promise unending hours of fun. And what follows next will be just as familiar: the sharp feeling of disappointment. The ad for “Purrpetual Pets” promises fuzzy computerized companions that will be tireless playmates for as long as you can keep them charged. The one we see 8-year-old Cady (Violet McGraw) playing with in the backseat, as her quarreling parents navigate a mountain road in a whiteout blizzard, mostly seems to make fart noises while prompting her to feed it simulated treats.

Although M3gan eventually becomes a movie about a technology so successful that it surpasses both its creator’s dreams and her control, it starts off as a reminder that, in the vast majority of cases, the promises that code could take on the functions of humans have either ended in failure or, just as often, a scaling-down of expectations. Instead of knowledgeable clerks or informed critics—or even, like, friends—to recommend what we should watch or listen to or read next, we have algorithms that make such sophisticated inferences as suggesting that having just purchased one car, we might be interesting in shopping for another. We drop our collective jaws at the idea that an A.I. chatbot can write like a human , never mind if that human is as moderately skilled as a 16-year-old bullshitter. An obscure B-side by a beloved band becomes their most-streamed song , not because it’s a hidden gem, but because, according to one service’s algorithm, it’s the song of theirs that sounds the most generically like them, the middest of the mid.

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The task assigned to M3gan ’s titular robot, who is embodied by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis, is an impossible one for most flesh-and-blood adults: helping a child navigate a horrible trauma. As Cady’s parents are telling her to get off her iPad, and then squabbling over who’s meant to be enforcing the limits on screen time, the car is hit by a truck, and both parents are killed. That leaves Cady to live with her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams), who designs toys for children but has no idea how to fit such a child into her life. Gemma’s solution is to combine the problem of figuring out how to care for Cady with the biggest hurdle she’s facing at work: designing the next-gen successor to Purrpetual Pets, an A.I.-powered companion that will do more than just beg kids for food and pass virtual gas. That’s M3gan, who looks like a 4-foot-tall American Girl doll and whose only directive is to shield Cady from “physical and emotional harm.”

The problem is that shielding a child from all harm is, as any parent can tell you, not only impossible but undesirable. Obviously you don’t want your children to get hit by a car or humiliated by a bully, but you do want to expose them to “ natural consequences ,” the benign-but-not-too benign outcomes that happen when you simply don’t interfere. You can warn a child a million times not to touch a hot pot, but it only takes doing it once for the lesson to sink in. Tell them the family dog went to live on a nice farm upstate and you may spare them some anguish, but you’ve also missed an opportunity to teach them two invaluable lessons: one, that everything dies, and two, that you’ll tell them the truth even when it’s hard.

M3gan doesn’t have that perspective, in part because she’s a prototype rushed into beta testing so that Gemma, whose tech-bro boss doesn’t approve of time off for parenting, won’t be fired. When a therapist tries to help Cady work through the grief of her parents’ death, all M3gan sees is a woman who’s made a little girl cry—and she does not approve. Her job isn’t to foster psychological healing, it’s just to keep Cady’s attention elsewhere, away from the sad things. As one of Gemma’s coworkers puts it, “She’s not a solution. She’s just a distraction.”

M3gan presents itself as yet another cautionary tale about the dangers of artificial intelligence: What if we give a machine the power to learn with no moral or ethical guidance, except to protect one creature at the expense of all others? But it’s really much simpler than that. M3gan doesn’t turn out to be a freaky supergenius. As one of Gemma’s fellow coders points out, most of her verbal responses are just spruced-up word salad. She knows that children are soothed by lullabies, but she thinks that the ideal song to dry an 8-year-old’s tears is Sia’s “Titanium.” She’s a living, so to speak, illustration of the difference between information and knowledge, and knowledge and wisdom.

The problem, though, isn’t really the machines. It’s the people giving them their cues. In a sense, M3gan ’s real monster is Cady, whose uncontrolled emotions are linked to a technology with no means of tempering them. Someone once said that if looks could kill, every child would be a murderer, and M3gan makes that insight concrete. Like the devices in our hands, her only task is to serve her user’s immediate needs—to pump out constant stimulation and to learn with every input how to better occupy our minds. A parent’s ultimate goal is to teach children to live without them, but the technologies we’ve designed are meant to never let us turn them off.

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You Can Own A Life-Size Megan For The Cost Of A PS5

No, this large-scale version of the doll from m3gan won’t dance or talk, but it also won’t kill you.

A new life-size replica of the robotic doll and star of 2022 horror hit M3GAN is now available to pre-order from collectible company NECA. The doll was revealed on April Fools, but this isn’t a joke or prank product. No, this doll is real and it’s also really expensive, too. You’ll need to put down $500—the price of a PlayStation 5 with a disc drive—to get your hands on this replica Model 3 Generative Android.

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In 2022 the world was introduced to Megan, the killer robot from the M3GAN horror film about a—get this—killer robot doll. The movie was a lot of fun, inspired a bunch of online jokes, and made enough money to greenlight a sequel which is set to arrive in 2025 . And if you want to scare your friends or just have someone to hang out with while you wait for the new sequel, NECA has a full-size 1:1 replica doll based on the Megan robot seen in the film. No, it doesn’t move or talk, sorry.

As spotted by IGN , the NECA version of Megan stands approximately 55 inches tall and is a true replica, “duplicated from actual film-used digital files to be the most screen-accurate representation available,” according to the store listing for the new doll.

NECA claims the fabric used for the doll’s dress is an exact match for the material used in the real movie. It also created custom shoes to better match the footwear Megan wears in the film. Inside the large doll is an articulated inner-armature and it also boasts movable eyes and synthetic hair.

As mentioned, the doll isn’t cheap. If you want your own Megan doll you’ll need to fork over $500—or the cost of a PlayStation 5 with a disc drive —to bring everyone’s favorite little murder doll home. NECA says this is a special “introductory” price, so it could go up at a later date.

NECA is taking pre-orders for the life-size Megan right now and says dolls will ship out sometime later this year.

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